Now that winter is subsiding, the trail of dirt and mud from outdoors should lessen and it is a good time to consider cleaning the carpets and rugs. This is especially true if you have small children or pets, both contributing to the stains and ground-in dirt that seem to bond to carpet fibres. Here are a few things to consider and some tips to help with cleaning your carpets:

• Vacuuming. About 85% of carpet dirt can be removed with consistent vacuuming. Most of the wear in a carpet is caused by dirt, as oily soils attract more soils. Frequent vacuuming will greatly reduce this buildup. You can purchase moistened granular cleaners that can be sprinkled on the carpet to reach remaining dirt. Follow the directions for the product, thoroughly vacuuming all of the remaining dirt and oils that have been broken down by the granules. The granules are moist, but not wet, so the carpet is ready for use immediately after the cleaning process is completed.
• Dry Chemical Cleaning. In addition to the process above, there are service providers that use a similar method to clean carpets commercially. If you do not like to wait for wet carpets to dry (using traditional steam cleaners) the dry chemical method may be best for your application. The chemicals used contain a small amount of moisture, but are only on the carpet for a short period of time before being extracted by powerful vacuuming along with the dirt they have broken down. The floor is ready for use immediately. Another benefit of this method is that there is no soapy residue left in the carpet, which is often the case with steam cleaners that inject hot water and soapy detergents into the carpet. Depending upon how powerful the extraction suction is on the machine, there will be a proportional amount of film left attached to the carpet fibres. ChemDry and Dry Carpet are two of the national franchises that offer the dry chemical cleaning method.
• Carpet Cleaning Machines. You can rent or buy a cleaning machine. There are lots of choices and this is a fairly inexpensive way to clean your own carpets as needed. There are also some heavy-duty, industrial machines that can be rented. Using a machine regularly, and especially on heavy traffic areas keeps your carpet looking and smelling great. These machines use steam or at least highly heated water in combination with carpet cleaning detergents. There is a suction process involved as part of the cleaning, but the machine still leaves your carpet wet when the process is done. It is essential that windows are opened, or heaters or furnace are running to provide enough air circulation to dry the carpets in a reasonable length of time. Carpets that retain moisture can foster the growth of molds and mildew and will leave the floors with smells that are not pleasant. Get it dry as soon as possible.
• Tips. As I mentioned above, vacuuming often and thoroughly is a primary factor in keeping carpets from dirt build-up. Clean stains quickly, not letting them bond to the fibres. Use a spot cleaner recommended for your type of carpet, and scrape the spot towards the middle and then tamp the spot into a towel or cloth using a tool like a meat tenderizer. If you “wet” clean do not use more detergent than recommended as this will leave excess residue. Also, do not overwet the carpet as this could leave water marks, cause shrinkage or promote mold and mildew growth.
• Tricks. You can use club soda to lift many stains. One part borax with two parts baking soda (or corn starch) applied to a messy spill, and left to dry can be vacuumed along with the mess. You can substitute a mixture of liquid soap and vinegar (one tablespoon each to a quart of water) in place of more expensive commercial carpet cleaning liquids in steam-clean machines. In a spray bottle you can prepare a mixture of one part liquid laundry soap (non-bleach), one part liquid fabric softener and six parts water to create an inexpensive carpet deodorizer that you spray onto the carpet as needed.

You can enjoy many years of the warmth and beauty of a quality carpet by keeping ahead of the dirt!

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